With the first half concluded, Sidney—the Dark-type Elite Four member and lowest-ranked of Hoenn's Elite Four—had already lost three Pokémon.
What stung the most was that he hadn't managed to defeat even one of Aiden Flint's.
In the audience, as everyone watched Aiden overwhelm Sidney with crushing strength, cheers erupted wave after wave.
"Aiden's gotten even stronger!" Ash exclaimed.
Beside him, Max couldn't resist adding sharply, "Ash, I don't think you're ever catching up to Aiden. Haven't you lost every time you challenged him?"
Ash clenched his fists immediately. "No! Next time, I'll beat Aiden for sure!"
Seeing Ash's unshakable confidence, May and the others exchanged helpless smiles. They were all friends—while they acknowledged Aiden's strength, they also had to consider Ash's feelings.
So Max's mouth was promptly covered.
Brock watched with an amused, knowing smile.
Meanwhile, Phoebe—the third member of Hoenn's Elite Four and Aiden's next opponent—watched from the sidelines, battle intent flickering in her eyes.
"If Sidney can't even slow him down… then I'm next."
Drake chuckled calmly beside her. "It's fine. I'm already prepared to be the stepping stone. Just treat this as your final grand battle and enjoy it."
Phoebe and Glacia both smiled at that.
That was the nature of the Elite Four Challenge.
The League Champion had to defeat Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Drake in succession—only then earning the right to challenge the Hoenn Champion.
That was precisely why so few ever became Champion through this route.
Either the challenger's six core Pokémon had to be powerful enough to sweep multiple Elite Four members in a row—
Or the challenger had to prepare specialized lineups tailored to each Elite Four and the Champion, training a wide roster of high-level Pokémon.
Of course, this wasn't a game.
If a battle ran long, challengers were granted sufficient rest after defeating an Elite Four member. It wasn't inhumane enough to force them to clear the entire gauntlet without pause.
…
Soon, the second half began.
Sidney's fourth Pokémon stepped onto the field—
Umbreon.
Level 69. Gold potential. At the peak of the Elite Four tier.
"Blaziken, you're up!"
Once again, Aiden sent out a starter Pokémon—but Blaziken still wasn't his true core ace.
"Blaziken—Quick Attack, then Drain Punch!"
Drain Punch was a weapon of endurance. Not only did it deal damage, it siphoned the opponent's stamina to restore Blaziken's own.
With Speed Boost as its ability and Drain Punch sustaining it, Blaziken was built for continuous combat.
As expected, Umbreon couldn't match Blaziken's speed.
As the battle progressed, Blaziken's Speed Boost activated again and again, growing faster and faster—
Until it became a streak of orange-red lightning across the battlefield.
One crushing punch—
Umbreon collapsed.
Sidney almost felt numb.
He sent out Sharpedo next.
But Sharpedo fell to Blaziken's Thunder Punch.
Five Pokémon down.
Sidney was left with only one.
His ace.
"I'm counting on you… Absol!"
"Ding! Absol's current attributes are as follows:"
Pokémon: Absol
Level: 70
Ability: Pressure
Type: Dark
Potential: Gold
Bond Evolution: Not unlocked
Mega Evolution: Not unlocked
Moves: Quick Attack, Swords Dance, Knock Off, Razor Wind, Future Sight, Perish Song…
Level 70.
Champion-tier.
No wonder Sidney had called it a "special gift."
But he had underestimated Aiden.
Champion-tier?
Who wasn't?
"Blaziken, close in—Seismic Toss!"
At Aiden's command, Blaziken leapt into the air, instantly appearing behind Absol.
Absol tried to evade, hooves scraping against the battlefield—
But Blaziken was faster.
It grabbed Absol firmly around the waist.
The next second—
Seismic Toss.
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed as Absol was slammed brutally into the ground, forming a massive crater.
Shaking its head, Absol barely recovered from the dizziness.
That single move had nearly ended it.
Fury flared in its eyes as it unleashed Razor Wind toward Blaziken.
"Blaziken—use Superpower to break it!"
Blaziken's battle style was straightforward—power against power.
Faced with the incoming massive blade of wind, it didn't dodge.
Muscles bulged.
A surge of raw strength exploded from its body.
With both claws, Blaziken grabbed the spinning Razor Wind—
And crushed it.
Shattered it completely.
Seeing this, Sidney understood.
He was finished.
But he refused to go down without one last gamble.
"Absol—Perish Song!"
Dark energy swelled as Absol began its ominous chant.
Blaziken's gaze sharpened instantly.
"End it. Full-power Burn Up!"
The moment Blaziken opened its mouth, a devastating pillar of flame erupted forward, engulfing Absol entirely before the Perish Song could fully take effect.
The cry of Absol echoed briefly—
Then silence.
"Ding! Blaziken has defeated Absol. Gained 5,735 experience points. Level increased. Current level: Lv70!"
"Ding! Blaziken has broken through to Champion-tier!"
"Absol is unable to battle! Blaziken wins! Since Elite Four Sidney has lost all six Pokémon—"
"The first round of the Elite Four Challenge goes to Aiden Flint!"
Half an hour.
Including the ten-minute intermission.
That was all it took for Aiden to defeat an Elite Four member.
At his current strength, Elite Four-level opponents no longer posed real obstacles.
The referee looked at him and asked, "Challenger Aiden Flint, will you immediately challenge the next Elite Four member—Phoebe—or will you take a rest?"
Under countless cameras, Aiden answered calmly:
"I'll continue."
The stadium exploded into thunderous cheers.
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